Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.

Why is it whenever I hear the word "Pastor" I think of the word "creepy"?
Why is it whenever I hear something like "inappropriate" and "child" in a sentence, somewhere else in the sentence is "church" or "bible" or "pastor"?

It's because America takes a completely different approach to loonies than other nations. Most other countries don't want loonies running around within their borders. America, on the other hand, welcomes them. So they proliferate here. It's all really quite simple.

It's because America takes a completely different approach to loonies than other nations. Most other countries don't want loonies running around within their borders. America, on the other hand, welcomes them. So they proliferate here. It's all really quite simple.

Churches are businesses. Preachers/pastors are in it for the money - some may actually believe the garbage they are spewing. This is a capitalistic country - business oriented. It is a tax free way to earn money.

I'm thinking of starting my own Church of the Net. I guarantee anybody who sends me $5 will go to heaven. If I can reach one million people and assuming 1% of them are complete morons, then I make an easy tax free $50K.

I thought you were one of the Christians here. Also wouldn't all this be just as true of Australia?

I am Thom.

They asked the question why there were so many here (of course I take exception to the "Loonies" designation...but that childish stuff is typical of the Atheists on this board)...and I told them.

If it was dudes from another country, that followed a different theology, that seized control (VERY uncool of them to do that) a few hundred years ago...and then heavily promoted their theological viewpoint...THAT would be the dominant religion.

I thought he meant Christian loonies meaning specifically the crazy Christians (like the ones who kill abortion doctors because they are against abortion) - not all Christians. I could be wrong, though. It's happened before - but not too often!

They asked the question why there were so many here (of course I take exception to the "Loonies" designation...but that childish stuff is typical of the Atheists on this board)...and I told them.

If it was dudes from another country, that followed a different theology, that seized control (VERY uncool of them to do that) a few hundred years ago...and then heavily promoted their theological viewpoint...THAT would be the dominant religion.

Yes many 'loonies' don't consider themselves as such. For them the 'loonies' are those who don't believe in god.

American history isn't really all that revealing in regard to the fact that many extreme Christians came here because they were driven from Europe over their beliefs. The extreme side of Christianity was characterized by those groups that saw the gospel as a secondary consideration of their faith, primary in their view was the horrific punishment supposedly wrought by God (but mostly men) on those who weren't true believers. Later arrivals in the colonies were somewhat surprised by the large population of Christian extremists, the less violent adherents to the faith began to drive these extremists to the southern regions and hence their historical foothold was established in what became the southern states.

Most of the "loonies" of today are not the product of those extreme remnants from the hills of Georgia and Alabama, we can see their growth as being the result of a newfound militancy in the fundamental Christian movement worldwide. I'm not of any faith but have always been tolerant of those who do believe in some type of religion.

I know a few good Christians who think that doing the social work that their belief instructs them to do is what they should be doing and I couldn't agree more. I worked with a man who was very devout, he told me that in his view God would determine the fate of those who would be punished, his job was to help feed the poor, comfort the sick, and be a friend to those who in his view had "lost their way", after working until eleven at night he went to his church to make sandwiches for the homeless, he helped build access ramps for the disabled, he went downtown on Sundays to preach to the street kids in a way that made them feel like real humans regardless of what others saw in them. Unlike the loonies he was the happiest man I knew, no hatred ever came out of him. If more Christians were like him it'd be a completely different world.

American history isn't really all that revealing in regard to the fact that many extreme Christians came here because they were driven from Europe over their beliefs. The extreme side of Christianity was characterized by those groups that saw the gospel as a secondary consideration of their faith, primary in their view was the horrific punishment supposedly wrought by God (but mostly men) on those who weren't true believers. Later arrivals in the colonies were somewhat surprised by the large population of Christian extremists, the less violent adherents to the faith began to drive these extremists to the southern regions and hence their historical foothold was established in what became the southern states.

Most of the "loonies" of today are not the product of those extreme remnants from the hills of Georgia and Alabama, we can see their growth as being the result of a newfound militancy in the fundamental Christian movement worldwide. I'm not of any faith but have always been tolerant of those who do believe in some type of religion.

I know a few good Christians who think that doing the social work that their belief instructs them to do is what they should be doing and I couldn't agree more. I worked with a man who was very devout, he told me that in his view God would determine the fate of those who would be punished, his job was to help feed the poor, comfort the sick, and be a friend to those who in his view had "lost their way", after working until eleven at night he went to his church to make sandwiches for the homeless, he helped build access ramps for the disabled, he went downtown on Sundays to preach to the street kids in a way that made them feel like real humans regardless of what others saw in them. Unlike the loonies he was the happiest man I knew, no hatred ever came out of him. If more Christians were like him it'd be a completely different world.

The truly SAD fact is......is that ALL CHRISTIANS are supposed to be like him....but aren't.

It's because America takes a completely different approach to loonies than other nations. Most other countries don't want loonies running around within their borders. America, on the other hand, welcomes them. So they proliferate here. It's all really quite simple.

Most certainly, just look at Scientology, they thrive here. France gave them the boot and called them out on their cult-ish ways. Well to be fair, about half of Europe recognizes them and the other half doesn't, more or less; though the U.S. is their homeland.

Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.